Telecommunications networks are experiencing a drastic technology shift from a circuit-switched architecture (such as the current voice phone network) to a packet-switched architecture (such as the global Internet). Worldwide, the capacity of deployed packet-switched networks is doubling every year while circuit-switched capacity is only increasing at an annual rate of around 6%. In many developed regions, packet-switched capacity already exceeds circuit-switched capacity. Recognizing this trend, telecommunications providers have begun to optimize their networks for the technology that is expected to dominate future growth: packet-switching. As they deploy packet-switched technology, these providers must still support traditional circuit-switched applications such as voice and facsimile. Instead of operating parallel network infrastructures, however, service providers seek to support those applications over a packet-switched network. This approach offers several advantages: greater efficiency through the use of a single, common, network infrastructure; lower cost through a reliance on packet-switching equipment; and better support of innovative new services through an open architecture.
As circuit-switched applications move to a packet-switched network, service providers need a way to identify systems on the packet-switched network that are associated with addresses (typically telephone numbers) common to the circuit-switched world. Providers must also have a means to authorize communications, and to ensure that unauthorized communications do not consume bandwidth. For example, the provisioning of a physical, circuit-switched, connection between two providers typically serves as authorization for the providers to share traffic. In a packet-switched environment, however, communicating parties need not share a physical connection and some other means of authorizing traffic is required. Finally, providers must have a reliable way to collect information from packet-switched devices to account for customer usage (e.g., for billing).
There remains a need in the art for a convenient, centralized application to identify call routes, provide authorization, and collect usage information for circuit-switched applications in a packet-switched network environment.